Association between social asymmetry and depression in older adults: A phone Call Detail Records analysis

Analyzing social interactions on a passive and non-invasive way through the use of phone call detail records (CDRs) is now recognized as a promising approach in health monitoring. However, deeper investigations are required to confirm its relevance in social interaction modeling. Particularly, no clear consensus exists in the use of the direction parameter characterizing the directed nature of interactions in CDRs. In the present work, we specifically investigate, in a 26-older-adults population over 12 months, whether and how this parameter could be used in CDRs analysis. We then evaluate its added-value for depression assessment regarding the Geriatric Depression Scale score assessed within our population during the study. The results show the existence of three clusters of phone call activity named (1) proactive, (2) interactive, and (3) reactive. Then, we introduce the notion of asymmetry that synthesizes these activities. We find significant correlations between asymmetry and the depressive state assessed in the older individual. Particularly, (1) reactive users are more depressed than the others, and (2) not depressed older adults tend to be proactive. Taken together, the present findings suggest the phone’s potential to be used as a social sensor containing relevant health-related insights when the direction parameter is considered.